CB Robert McClain signing with Pats; UConn alum was w/ Falcons last 3 years

AndyJohnson said:

I'm curious. Why do you think Bill didn't do the 'sensible thing'? You speak as if a child would know the right answer and BB got it wrong. What do you think the issue with Belichick is that he can't learn this?
I'm not busting your balls I'm really trying to understand your viewpoint.

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My problems with signing Fletcher & McClain (& Chekwa) include:

We don't have unlimited cap space to sign many, if any, more vet CBs to see which of them prove better fits here for the 2015 season; so those that are signed should have at least a puncher's chance of helping.

Chekwa, Fletcher & McClain likely could've been signed to one-year, non-guaranteed, vet-minimum
contracts any time during the off-season; what was the rush to sign them now?

Signing the aforementioned now almost assures that the remaining CBs who are better than them -
Tarell Brown, Terence Newman, Charles Tillman, Sterling Moore, Zach Bowman - will sign elsewhere. Another -Rashean Mathis - already has.

Although Fletcher & Chekwa at least possess adequate height/weight, McClain smells like a return to
the bad old days of smurf CBs like Terry Wheatley & Johnny Wilhite.

I like most of us here would also not have signed any of the budget-busting FA CBs - Revis, Maxwell, Flowers, Cary & Tramon Williams, Tony Cromartie, Skrine, Culliver, Kareem Jackson, Davon House, Perrish Cox - to the deals they signed; I instead would've simply retained Browner and signed Tarell Brown, then drafted a CB no later than the top of the 4th round (which will likely happen anyway).

Browner - Brown - Arrington - Dennard - Ryan - Butler - Swanson - high draft pick - would've been
a grouping I could've felt as good as I could've felt about our CBs that didn't include Mevi$.

If Chekwa's & McClain's contracts are structured in such a way that no dead money is incurred when
they don't make the 53 out of TC and are minimum-wage if they do, then I'll have less of a problem
with them than I do now, although they might be standing in the way of more promising UDFAs.
Fletcher, however, is a complete waste of time, effort, and precious salary-cap & roster space.

As for why Bill doesn't understand this, I have no idea. This is the same guy, after all, who traded for
OchoStinko & Fat Albert Haynesworth, among other brainfarts.

BelichickFan said:

The crazies are out today. Give it up, man. Butler probably isn't "just" a slot corner. Although he could be a slot guy if needed. Honestly, some of you people.

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What a joke.

How is McClain suppose to replace Revis and Browner, who incidentally were boundary cornerbacks?

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots already have two slot cornerbacks, Arrrington and Butler, three if you count Ryan.

Not really, it glosses over the whole "gnashing of teeth" which tries to belittle any other point of view as playing the fool.

But thanks,I guess.

FCB02062 said:

Classic Kraft/Belichick - ponies instead of horses ....spend 15M on 7 guys, pick the best one, cut the rest instead of 15M on one guy...it's worked, sort of, in the past, and has come home to roost in the playoffs/super bowl....i'm not thinking they go back to back with this strategy.
I think every fan on here would trade an incredible shot at a repeat this season with Revis, Browner, etc. for the resultant "cap jail" in 2 years....heck, it was FUN watching last year's team on defense and it was TORTURE watching the defense of 08-13 (sans the few games Talib was healthy)...

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Can you find out how this years D compared to the D of 08 to 13. It would be a good comparison.

Also, are you sure everyone here would take DR and BB and the cap hell?

Rusty Coupe said:

Not really, it glosses over the whole "gnashing of teeth" which tries to belittle any other point of view as playing the fool.

But thanks,I guess.

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It really doesn't. That's just your inability to comprehend what you're reading.

I'll wait for you to show where I said this was a good signing. Since you apparently haven't a clue what my viewpoint is I highly doubt your argument that I'm belittling other points of view was very well thought out.

Rusty Coupe said:

Not really, it glosses over the whole "gnashing of teeth" which tries to belittle any other point of view as playing the fool.

But thanks,I guess.

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What is the other point of view? I am a little lost here.

Next up, we're going to coax Earthwind Moreland and Duane Starks out of retirement.

Instead of just moaning about the player we signed maybe we can discuss the player?

From what I've been able to dig up, he played inside and outside in Atlanta and also a little bit of special teams. I imagine BB likes that versatility a lot. He played outside until Desmond Trufant arrived and then got moved around.

Atlanta's defense has been really, really bad the past couple of years. I think that can mostly be chalked up to a few things:

1) Sean Weatherspoon was never healthy
2) John Abraham got old and then left
3) They missed on quite a few picks (DT comes to mind with Peria Jerry and the verdict is still out on Hageman)
4) They gave up picks to move up and grab Julio Jones.

captain stone said:

My problems with signing Fletcher & McClain (& Chekwa) include:

We don't have unlimited cap space to sign many, if any, more vet CBs to see which of them prove better fits here for the 2015 season; so those that are signed should have at least a puncher's chance of helping.

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Since the New England Patriots don't have unlimited salary cap space, that $2.5 million would be better served to re-sign Dan Connolly and a defensive nose tackle to replace Vince Wilfork.

VrabelJr said:

Instead of just moaning about the player we signed maybe we can discuss the player?
.

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Its difficult for some of these guys to discuss a lot of things since they dont know **** about anything. Its just easier to cry, *****, and moan since anyone can do that.

God forbid they actually read and learn or ask other posters about said player.

JackBauer said:

It really doesn't. That's just your inability to comprehend what you're reading.

I'll wait for you to show where I said this was a good signing. Since you apparently haven't a clue what my viewpoint is I highly doubt your argument that I'm belittling other points of view was very well thought out.

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"Que the gnashing of teeth" My comprehension is this: Any posts other than a complete ball washing of this are whiners.

Personally this is probably a very minor signing, it's the way you wen't about it. Why not just state your own opinion of it, rather than implying what other people's reaction may be?

@MikeReiss: CB Robert McClain contract details: 1-year, $1.24 million. Signing bonus of 150k, roster bonus of 240k, base salary of 800k.

This stiff got guarentees

Because the pats have had such great success with CB from Uconn.

Rusty Coupe said:

"Que the gnashing of teeth" My comprehension is this: Any posts other than a complete ball washing of this are whiners.

Personally this is probably a very minor signing, it's the way you wen't about it. Why not just state your own opinion of it, rather than implying what other people's reaction may be?

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Let me be clear: it's not the opinion that matters as much as the manner in which it is communicated.

See the quoted post below this one.

FCB02062 said:

Wow, it's as though Bill has realized his throwing draft corner back crap against the wall didn't work (wheatley, dowling, butler, etc) that now he's determined to sign every available garbage corner available. they've done this before with defensive ends back when Pats still played mostly a 3-4 and he needed big OLB so they'd sign and draft every crap free agent DE that he thought could play OLB in his vaunted system...wow this is depressing

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Shhhhh. You'll only encourage the dark lord who feasts upon the tears of this fan base.

captain stone said:

It was either Tarell Brown, or Terence Newman, or Charles Tillman, or Rasheen Mathis, or Sterling Moore, or nothing at all.


No, actually the CB position is worse today than it was yesterday.
Had Bill done the sensible thing and signed the other 2 CBs who visited (Brown & Newman), then - and
only then - can we say the the CB position is better today than it was yesterday.

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Or it could be that the two guys you wanted demanded guarantees that the Pats, looking for diamonds in the rough/camp competition, weren't willing to give.

Really not a cornerback. Another special teams player.
Not panicking until September comes and these guys are on the team.
Maybe a bit more invested in signing bonus dead money than we would prefer for low probability players.

Freeney, Chekwa, McClain, Fletcher, Cadet - throw in Tyler Ott - a lot of depth at special teams.
Only Sheard seems destined as a new player to see much time on the field other than special teams.

JackBauer said:

Let me be clear: it's not the opinion that matters as much as the manner in which it is communicated.

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No, it's that your opinion was stated by what you believe other posters opinion may be, why use the broad brush, why not just give your own opinion?

ATippett56 said:

Since the New England Patriots don't have unlimited salary cap space, that $2.5 million would be better served to re-sign Dan Connolly and a defensive nose tackle to replace Vince Wilfork.

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It all depends on the structure of the contract. it's very likely nowhere near 2.5 million regarding guarantees, which means that money doesn't detract at all from the moves you mentioned.

ATippett56 said:

Since the New England Patriots don't have unlimited salary cap space, that $2.5 million would be better served to re-sign Dan Connolly and a defensive nose tackle to replace Vince Wilfork.

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Are they on veteran's minimum deals? Seems likely. In that case, they basically don't cost anything against the cap.